Swimming-tank inlet.



J. P. BOORAEM & G. B. ROHMER.

SWIMMING TANK INLET. APPLICATION FILED DBO.15, 191s.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

TUT

5L1 FFICE.

JOHN FRANCIS BOORAEM, OF GREENWICI-I, CONNECTICUT, AND GABRIEL E. ROI-IMER,

OF PELHAM, NEVT YORK.

SWIMMING-TANK INLET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 15, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914:.

Serial No. 806,779.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN FRANoIs BOORAEM, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, and GABRIEL E. RoHMnR, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Pelham, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swimming-Tank Tnlets, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means for admitting to a swimming-tank the water to be supplied thereto, at a level with the outlet or overflow over the sides of the tank, and to do this in a manner without unnecessary agitation of the water already in the tank.

A further object is to furnish in one structure adapted to form with the other tile members at the upper portion of the tank a continuous wall, means for admitting water to the tank at the water-level, means for the purpose of flushing the tank of all the scum and impurities floating on the water, also to provide a hose-connection serving to clean the walls of the plunge when same is empty.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front-elevation of a portion of the wall of a swimming-tank at the top of the same, showing our improved inlet, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in both of the figures.

The wall of the tank at the top comprises, as is well known in swimming-tanks, a liferail member 10 extending around the tank, which member by its upper rounded end affords a hand-hold, and over which member the water escapes from the tank into a tile-gutter 11, and thence out through a waste-opening 12. Above the life-rail and gutter is the usual coping member 13 flush with the floor 14.

The inlet member comprises a body 21, At its forward-portion toward the tank is a vertically-extending portion approximately the same shape as that of the liferail, that is to say, the body 21 of said inlet member is of such thickness or height at the gutter 11 as not to obstruct the continuity of the gutter, and in front of the gutter said member has an upwardly-extending portion 22 of approximately the same width or thickness as the life-rail 10, which portion 22 extends upward slightly higher than the top of said life-rail. At its rear-portion 23 the inlet member is extended back of the coping 13. The inlet member is supported upon the body 18 of the wall of the tank, in the same manner as the tiles 10.

The inlet member is provided with two conduits for the entering water, namely, an upper conduit 25 and a lower conduit 26. The upper conduit is connected at the rearend of the inlet member with the main supply-pipe 27 for the water, and at its forward-end rises in the vertical extension 22 of the inlet member and terminates in a horizontally-discharging elongated mouth 28, the horizontal median line of which is approximately on a level with the top of the life-rail. The conduit 25 and its riser-portion 29 and mouth 28 are of approximately the same capacity as the pipe 27, and this is obtained by making said conduit 25 and its riser-portion and mouth of flattened cross-section, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The lower conduit 26 of the inlet member is connected at its rear-end with a supplypipe 30, and at its forward-end is provided with a screw-plug 31 which may be removed by a suitable wrench.

In the use of the tank water is admitted through the pipe 27 and conduit 25, whence it passes through the riser-portion 29 and mouth 28, from which it debouches into the tank at the level of the water therein. The discharge takes place, by reason of the horizontal elongated shape of the mouth 28, over a considerable space at the water-level and thereby is carried on quietly, notwithstanding that a large volume of water is admitted under a considerable head. The surface of the water in the tank remains substantially undisturbed and no annoyance to the bathers is caused by the entering sup ply. The top of the inlet member at 3 1, im mediately above the mouth, is at only a slightly higher elevation than the top of the life-rail 10 and is connected therewith by concave portions 35, so that there is no substantial interruption in the general height of the life-rail around the tank. Swimmers who through inadvertence are compelled to grasp that portion of the tank, namely, the inlet member at its top 34, can do so, and the same serves all the purposes of the life-rail, there being no obstruction behind the upwardly-extending portion 22 of the inlet member. The same not being recessed at its back, however, as is the rest of the life-rail, and being provided with the angular corner 36 at the junction of the top 34 and the front of the inlet member, gives a decidedly different impression to the hand of the swimmer than the life-rail and warns him that he is not grasping the rail itself. The angle 86 is not so comfortable to the hand as the rounded, forward, upper edge of the life-rail, and the swimmer 1s thereby caused to soon remove his hand from the inlet member and grasp the adjacent liferail member, thus withdrawing obstruction from the flow of water from the mouth 28 which was formerly caused by his hand.

The lower conduit 26 is used for admitting water when it is desired to flush the tank with a hose. For this purpose, the tank having been emptied, entrance of water through the conduit 25 is shut off and the plug 31 is removed and a hose (not shown) is connected with the forward-end of the conduit 26 by the usual nipple-connection. WVater is then admitted through the pipe 30, whence it passes through the conduit 26 and the hose, which may be directed around the walls and bottom of the tank, so that the same is thoroughly flushed.

The inlet member may be formed of any suitable material. It is preferably cast in iron or other metal. In the building of the tank it provides great economy of labor and material, by providing in one structure, having the same characteristics as the life-rail tiles, means for the admission of water for the normal supply to the tank, and means for admission of the flushing water. Both of these conduits are brought together in one structure without interference with each other, whereby both are installed at the same time, and with adjacent pipe-connections. The continuity of the life-rail member is uninterrupted, both for that purpose and for the purpose of the discharge-gutter behind it. The coping-blocks also remain the same where they pass the inlet member, as over other portions of the tank.

One embodiment of the invention has been described, but it is obvious that changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

' 1. An inlet member for swimmingtanks, comprising an elongated body, a front-portion extending vertically therefrom, a main conduit in said body, and a riser-conduit connected therewith in said vertical portion and terminating at the water-line of the tank in a horizontal elongated mouth.

2. An inlet member for swimming tanks, comprising an elongated body, a frontportion extending vertically therefrom, a main conduit in said body, a riser-conduit connected therewith in said vertical portion and terminating at the water-line of the tank in a horizontal elongated mouth, and a flushing-conduit in said body below said main conduit and provided at its forwardend at the front of the member with a removable plug.

3. An inlet member for swimmingtanks, comprising an elongated body, a front-portion extending vertically therefrom,,a horizontally flattened main conduit in said body, V

and a flattened riser-conduit connected therewith in said vertical portion and terminating at the water-line of the tank in a horizontal elongated mouth.

4. An inlet member for swimming-tanks, comprising an elongated body, a front-portion extending vertically therefrom, a main conduit in said body, and a riser-conduit connected therewith in said vertical portion and terminating at the water-line of the tank in a horizontal elongated mouth, the top of said inlet member above said elongated mouth being raised above the plane of the laterally adjacent upper edges of said member.

5. An inlet member for swimming-tanks, comprising an elongated body, a front-portion extending vertically therefrom, a main conduit in said body, and a riser-conduit connected therewith in said vertical portion and terminating at the water-line of the tank in a horizontal elongated mouth, the top of said inlet member above said elongated mouth being raised above the plane of the laterally adjacent upper edges of said member, said top forming with the front of the member an angular upper front-corner.

6. The combination, with a tank having a vertically-extending life-rail and a gutter behind the same, of an inlet member having a body forming a continuation of said gutter and having at the front of said body a vertically-extending portion forming a continuation of said life-rail, and having a conduit in said body and in said verticallyextending portion, and a horizontally-discharging mouth at the horizontal plane at the top of the life-rail.

7. The combination, with a tank having a vertically-extending life-rail and a gutter behind the same, of an inlet member having a body forming a continuation of said gutter and having at the front of said body a vertically-extending portion forming a con tmuatlon of sald life-rail, and havlng a main conduit in said body and 1n sald ver tically-extending portion, and a horizonas our invention, We have signed our names tally-(llscharglng mouth at the horlzontal 1n presence of two subsorlblng Witnesses.

plane at the top of the life-rail, and having J. FRANCIS BOORAEM. a flushing-conduit below said main conduit, GABRIEL E. ROHMER. 5 and a removable cap at the end. of said flush- Witnesses:

ing-conduit at the front of the inlet member. F. Hose, In testimony that We claim the foregoing G. Lown.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

